Ring to Cage Ultima Gi – A1

Ring to Cage Gi Review – Ultima A1

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Ring to Cage is a company that is known for their stand up gear more than their BJJ products. This is my second encounter with a kimono from R2C and they’ve really upped their game this time. This kimono reminds me of a sought after gi that is no longer in production but in it’s time was highly liked and endorsed by the likes of BJ Penn and other prominent BJJ figures. Will this one have the same reputation? Here is our ring to cage gi review.

The Ultima comes with two pairs of pants and an assortment of patches, an extra rope drawstring, and a white belt. The patches can be for the gi top, the canvas pants, or just general patchiness.

I was actually sent two of these gi’s but felt the A2 would be too big to shrink down adequately enough so I went with A1.

Pros

Super sturdy construction

Two pairs of pants

Heavier gi

Thick collar

extra pants string

Patches on pants are easily removeable

Cons

One pant string exploded

Jacket Details

620 GSM Light-Flex Platinum Weave

Thick EVA Foam Collar

Triple Stitched Seams

Multi Colored taping down the collar

Sublimated Taping inside of the collar

Outside skirt woven taping

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Pants Details

14 oz Twill Cotton

Flat Drawstring

Six Belt Loop System

Triple Stitched Seams

Oval heavy duty knee pads

Taping down the leg

10 oz Ripstop Cotton

Stretchy rope drawstring

Triple Stitched seams

Woven patches

Six belt loop system

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Jacket Overview

The jacket of the Ring to Cage Ultima kimono is made of a heavier weight platinum weave with your standard reinforcements but the cloth being made of heavier material. The white contrast stitching has no breaks in it that I could find or shows any signs of wear but does have some doubled over stitching in a few places. That is common with kimonos though.

The outside is rougher but the inside is oh so soft lol. It almost feels like a brushed cotton but it’s not.

There is a silk sublimated taping around the inside of the collar but stops at the base of the skirt. No inside taping around the skirt but there is woven taping on the outside of the skirt. It’s a black, non scratchy taping that has the two Ring to Cage logos repeated.

The collar is constructed of thick EVA Foam wrapped in canvas, and features a green, grey, and black striped piping along the outside. Stitching around the collar is fairly straight but does have a few double stitched hiccup lines on both the inside and outside of the collar.

No patches or embroidery anywhere on the top and is a good clean design. A lot of people long for a heavier gi with no patches and the top is perfect for that and in my opinion is a good rival to some of the more Favorited heavier gi companies.

There is a funky spot on the gi where it wasn’t folded over properly. A very small section though. It looks purely aesthetic but I did want to note it.

Pants Overview

Both pants feature standard reinforcements and a six belt loop drawstring system. The canvas pants are stiffer due to their heavier weight.

The canvas pants have thick oval knee pads that are 10.75 inches long and stops 10.5 inches from the bottom (limiting the knee padding area) where as the rip stops have just a thin layer of rip stop material but goes all the way to the bottom.

The ripstop pants have two patches on the left side. The Canvas pants have no patches but do have the black woven taping running down each leg. This taping is scratchy and might irritate your partner, I would recommend fabric softener.

The ropes are different but like I said earlier they do give you another rope drawstring to change out the flat drawstring on the canvas pants if you don’t like the flat style.

Fit & Rolling Performance

The gi fits well, it’s a little tight in the chest area due to normal shrinkage (maybe an inch all around?) when closed but it’s no biggie though as most jackets op.en up anyway. The shoulders are mobile and the arms are free to move about. The sleeves shrank about an inch

The pants are looser with the ripstop ones and are super breathable and light. The canvas ones though are a little tight (not a lot, just tighter than the rip stops) and because they’re so thick, it’s fairly warm when rolling. I would personally use the canvas ones to train and the ripstops to compete but that’s just my opinion.

Rolling in this gi can go one or two ways for you. Either extremely uncomfortable or extremely awesome. Pants depend on that but also your grip breaking ability plays a big factor. The top is so rough that you should be able to break grips, but if you’re used to light gi’s that breathe you’re gonna be in for a treat.

The gi is thick and heavy, (like a training gi should be) and is hot. Doesn’t breathe very well but i really don’t care. I love this style of gi. Grabbing a hold of the canvas pants is virtually non existent but the ripstop pants are easier to grip due to the light material. Super comfy and breezy though.

I personally like heavier gi’s to train in.

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Measurement Chart

Final Conclusions

The Ring to Cage Ultima is a hard nosed training/competition gi. Especially for those who can weigh in with it’s heavier weight and still make their division. The two pairs of pants really help, the heavier cotton ones for training and/or comps, and the rip stops for hot summer days and comps.

While it did have some aesthetic problems, they haven’t effected the durability of the gi over the past two months that I’ve been using the Ultima. It’s quickly become one of my favorite gi’s to use in training due to it’s weight and durability. The color has faded naturally, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The price is on the higher side, sitting at 184.95 before shipping, but given the fact it does come with all the extras I think it’s a very fair price. Especially considering all the other releases out that are averaging $170 and are of lighter weights. I’m not saying it’s a great price, but it is fair for what you’re getting and the durability of the kimono.

The Ring to Cage Ultima does remind me of the original Lucky Gi, which has been a highly prized kimono from anyone who has worn one. If you loved those kimonos, or you’re a fan of heavier kimonos then you should definitely pick this kimono up. As I stated in the earlier text, A lot of people are wanting a heavier Judo-ish gi with no patches and I think this is a good rival to some of the more Favorited heavier gi companies. Give it a try.